


Green Leaves

by Genius_626



Series: Barduil Seasons [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Character, Family Drama, Father/son issues, Feelings, Firefighter!Bard, Like this is a drama but it gets super fluffy, M/M, Mentions of combat related death, PTSD Thranduil, Second Chances, Single dads dating, YouTube-ers, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 11:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8161154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genius_626/pseuds/Genius_626
Summary: Thranduil wasn't the same after coming home from war fifteen years ago, which made growing up for Legolas very difficult. Now, two years after Legolas had left home, Thranduil hasn't heard a word from him, and he's started a new part of his own life with Bard. Will there ever be reconciliation between father and son?





	1. Chapter 1

Winter was nearly over, but the chill air still stung a little as father and daughter fast walked from the parking lot and into the mall. When they made it inside, Bard and Tilda were walking hand in hand. Tilda might be a little old for hand holding, but they were both so fiendishly excited that it was hard to contain their happiness without holding onto someone. 

“You have to keep this a secret from Ada. He absolutely cannot know about this.” Bard said as he spotted the jewelry store across the way. 

Tilda rolled her eyes. “I know, Da. He’s going to be so surprised!”

Neither of them had any doubt that Thranduil would say ‘yes,’ so father and daughter conspired together on the perfect way to propose. Bard had felt slightly guilty about not sharing his intensions with Bain or Sigrid—not that he thought that they would object—but he was banking on the surprise factor, so the less people who knew, the better.

“You should take him out to dinner.” Tilda said. “To his favorite fancy restaurant. And tell the wait staff in advance so no one trips on you when you go down on one knee."

Bard laughed. “If we do that, I want to take all of you. I’d like for my kids to be there when I propose to your future step-dad.”

“What about Thranduil’s son?” Tilda asked. She hardly knew anything about Legolas, just that he used to work with Thranduil and now he’s in some random country climbing mountains with his friends. 

“He’s still out of the country.” Bard said, a little sadly. Since he’d known Thranduil, the topic of Legolas had always been a melancholy one. 

“Can’t we invite him?” 

“Thranduil’s been trying to reach him for a few months now. We don’t know how to get to him.”

Tilda squeezed Bard’s hand before letting it go, as they’d made it to the shop. “I would hate to be like that with you.”

Bard sighed. “Me too. But sometimes things happen, and people have to separate for a time.”

“Even family?”

“Even your only family in the world.”

“Well, Thranduil’s apart of our family now. And hopefully, Legolas will come around.”

“You’re right, sweetheart. And we can only hope.”

…

Thranduil was in his office, staring out of a window taller than himself, looking out at a picturesque view of the city. He should be focusing on reviewing reports that had just come in, but his mind was on anything but work at the moment. He turned to eye a picture frame on his desk.

In clear view to anyone who entered his office were a few strategically placed items. He kept his office space incredibly neat, but also appropriately decorated for reasons both personal and entirely power-move related. People tended to respect the purple heart he showcased on the bookshelf, next to a picture of he and his late wife in their army uniforms. People also found one more relatable or responsible if you had pictures of your family at hand.

On his desk sat two pictures in one frame, both of his son, at ages 5 and 17. Legolas was 19 now, nearly 20, as it was a month until his next birthday. He was also very far away, somewhere completely unknown to Thranduil. 

If you didn’t know the CEO of Mirkwood Industries terribly well, which could easily describe most of his staff, you would assume that he didn’t allow the fact that his son didn’t talk to him upset him in any way.

You would be wrong.

Thranduil was very good at hiding his true feelings, and he had used to be very good at bottling them up. That is, until he ran into the people occupying the second picture frame on his desk. It was of the Bowman family, a picture he had taken himself some weeks ago on a family outing to Misty Mountains Park. If he had any joy in his heart, it had been amplified tenfold by the arrival of the Bowman family in his life. Meeting Bard had true changed his outlook on things. He remembers the incident well, it had only been two years ago that they first formally met.

Bard was a fire fighter, which was a bit of a family trade. He was infamous among the city as a daredevil in the fire fighting community. He was often mentioned in newspaper headlines showcasing his heroics, although he was very humble and often talked about the rest of his team and their skills as well. 

The reason for their first meeting was not ideal. The fire alarm had gone off in the building and everyone had been evacuated. Thranduil all but panicked, being very sensitive to anything involving fire. He still had the scars along the entire left side of his body from the bomb and engulfing flame that had taken his wife in combat. 

That being said, he had to be taken out of his office on the top floor, and Bard had been there to do it. He had been very gentle, even in an emergency. He had no fear or frustration in his voice, just kind eyes and knowing hands, coaxing Thranduil into trusted him. When they had finally made it down the stairs, it was apparent that the fire had started on one of the first floors. It was still being extinguished, and Thranduil was led aside, taken to an ambulance to be treated for shock. He sat there for a time, a blanket wrapped around him, staring at the ground and feeling the his employees eyes on him. The fact that he still suffered from PTSD wasn’t exactly something he liked to share with his subordinates.

Bard had been busy with making sure everyone had been evacuated, and even in the slight chaos that had accumulated from the kind of mass evacuation, Bard had made his way back to Thranduil, asking if he was ok. The rest was history, as Thranduil liked to put it, because meeting Bard, then going out on their first date, meeting the family, falling in love...everything had happened so naturally, neither had questioned their luck. 

Well, not everything. It had taken a great deal of patients on Bard’s part to get Thranduil to start talking about his past in a way that could make it easier to let go. And in two years, Bard had somehow chipped away at nearly every one of his insecurities, making them so much more bearable to live with. Confiding in Bard made him realize so many of his mistakes, especially regarding Legolas. 

Admitting his failures was one thing, and living with them another. Thranduil thought long and hard about how he could make it up to Legolas, now realizing just how hard he’d pushed him to follow in his footsteps. And not only that, but how hard he’d become after the death of his wife, after coming home from war, after no longer understanding anything but business. It had taken years to find any form of peace, and Legolas had been the casualty. 

…

It was Friday, which meant that Thranduil came over to the Bowman's for dinner and stayed for the weekend. Thranduil lived across town in an apartment probably just as big as Bard’s house, which could get lonely from time to time. They had just recently discussed the possibility of moving in together and finding someplace new to call their own. 

After dinner, the adults usually talked in the living room over wine while the kids either finished their homework or found something else to do until bed. Family game night was on Saturdays, and Tilda and Bain were already arguing about what they’d be playing tomorrow evening. 

“So no fires to put out today?” Thranduil asked after they’d settled. He knew Bard would have already told him if there had been, but he liked to make sure. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Bard said, taking a sip of wine. “There was some firehouse drama I had to resolve today, so that was a fire I had to put out.”

“Ooo, I love that kind of fire. Fire house gossip is the best I’ve ever heard.”

Bard laughed, knowing how true that was. He suddenly had a thought, and reached into his pocket, trying to remember where he’d stashed the ring he and Tilda had picked out just hours ago. 

“Hold on…” Bard said, putting his glass down not he coffee table and getting up to look through his jacket pockets.

“Something wrong?” Thranduil asked. 

“Yeah…” Bard said, remembering now that he and Tilda had swung by the fire house to retrieve some paperwork. he must have left it in his office. It would be safe there, since he’d locked it, but he needed to make sure he was remembering right. 

“I left something back at the office.” He explained, getting his keys. “I need it to finish the paperwork I brought home.” Ok, now it was a blatant lie, but for good reasons. "I’ll only be a few minutes."

“Fine, leave me for your work. I can wait.” Thranduil said wryly, his smirk the only identification to Bard that he was joking. 

“I’ll make it up to you later.” Bard said, coming up to him and leaning down for a kiss. 

A moment later, Sigrid was about to tell her father that she was going next door to retrieve a text book from a friend. She entered the living room to see Bard walking out the door. Thranduil was sitting on couch flipping through his phone, probably reading his email. 

“Where's Da going?” Sigrid asked. 

“To the fire station, he forgot something there.” Thranduil answered, still looking at his phone, now with a worried expression on his face.

“Is everything Ok?” Sigrid asked, walking over to him and sitting where Bard had occupied just moments ago. 

Thranduil ran a hand down his face and looked at her. “Yes, actually. I just got an email about the whereabouts of my son.”

Sigrid was surprised. “From who? How?”

“I have an associate, I don’t like him very much, but I find his husband, Bilbo, is much more agreeable. Bilbo is the owner of a local antique shop downtown. I met him for the first time a few days ago by chance. He recognized me and told me that he knows the two other men Legolas is traveling with and that they’ve been vlogging this whole time."

“And how does he know them?” 

“One of them, Gimli, is his husband's cousin’s son, as convoluted as that sounds. The other, Aragorn, is the son of a late billionaire, someone I used to be in business with, actually, years ago. After his parents passed away, he started backpacking across the world. He and Legolas met somehow, and apparently the rest is history.”

Sigrid couldn’t believe the luck of all of those connections. “So where are they?”

“Half way across Arda. I don’t see how it matters if he won’t talk to me.” Thranduil shrugged and looked back at his phone. “Here, Bilbo sent me this too.” Thranduil tapped the screen a few times and a video popped up. It was Go-Pro footage of someone climbing a mountain. Sigrid gasped at how high up they were. When they reached the peak, the guy with the camera unclipped it from himself and turned it around to see his face and talk into it. Two other men were behind him, and only then did Sigrid recognize Legolas. He looked so much like Thranduil, maybe not as tall, and much younger, but so similar. He didn’t speak, but he looked happy.

When the video was over, Thranduil sighed. “They have an entire channel dedicated to their adventures, apparently. I'll have to check it out later."

“I’m sorry, Ada.” She said, not knowing what else to say. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

“Thank you.” Thranduil said, squeezing her hand. "I feel like I’ve been given a second chance with you all. I just hope Legolas will be able to give me a second chance as well.”

Sigrid didn’t say anything this time, she didn’t know how. Instead, she hugged the man that she already saw as a step father, and privately wondered if there was anything she could do to help him.

In fact, there might be. 

That night, Sigrid did some digging. After a few minutes of google searches, she finally found Legolas’ friends YouTube channel. They were fairly popular and had a few hundred uploads. They even had different types of videos; Go-Pro climbs, hitchhiking journals, personal vlogs. Sigrid noticed that both Aragorn and Gimli had regular vlog journals, while Legolas had only just uploaded his first a day ago. Making sure her headphones were plugged in, she clicked on the icon and watched.

He sat in front of the camera, looking and sounding a little nervous. It looked like he was sitting at a park bench, the green all around him bringing out the brilliant blur of his eyes.

“Hey guys, Greenleaf here. You’ve been requesting that I say something for a while now and Strider finally convinced me. I honestly don’t really know what to say on my own, my actions speak for me in most ways. But I guess I’ll answer some viewer questions.”

He took out a notebook. “Gimli compiled some questions people had for me from older comment threads. Here’s one: Why did I want to start traveling? I, um, I wanted to get away from it all, really. I was brought up very privileged and pretty much alone. I worked my ass off to work for my father's company and then realized a little too late that it wasn’t for me. So I quit. And I left.”

Sigrid had never heard this before. Thranduil rarely talked to her or her siblings about anything too heavy, although Sigrid knew that he must have opened up to Bard that way. Her father had sat them all down once to explain that Thranduil had been in traumatic combat, that he had PTSD and what exactly might trigger Thranduil in particular. It had been a learning moment for all of them, and all of them had pretty much come to the conclusion that they would never ask Thranduil anything about his past. Or at least, that they had to be very careful about what they asked. 

So Sigrid had never asked why Legolas left. now she had a better idea. 

"Man, I’m not good at this…” Legolas trailed off, looking over the questions. "Next question. Am I single? Obviously, but I like it that way for now. Do I have siblings? No, no, never have. My mom died when I was very young and my dad never remarried. But to be honest, Aragorn and Gimli are the closest thing to brothers I’ve ever had, so that’s been fun.”

In the background, Sigrid could hear Aragorn and Gimli making “awwww” sounds. Legolas blushed and looked to his left. 

“You guys said you weren’t going to listen! God, you’re the worst!”

“You love us! We love you, Legolas!” One of them said off screen while the other heartily laughed. 

“I think that's it for today’s vlog. This is probably the only one I’ll ever do.” Legolas said, looking a mixture of embarrassed and happy before the video cut off. 

Sigrid sat there for a moment, feeling torn. She had an account, so she could try and contact him through a medium she knew he might actually see or respond to. If he was ignoring Thranduil’s emails, would he ignore a private message from a girl claiming she knew his father? She wanted to reach out, but wondered if doing it behind Bard and Thranduil’s backs would be wrong. 

She decided she’d sleep on it. 

...

Bard returned home fifteen minutes after leaving to find that Thranduil had moved their wine glasses into the bedroom, where the blonde was now lying in his bed, watching a video on his phone.

“What’s that?” Bard asked, taking off his coat and discreetly hiding the ring box in his sock drawer while Thranduil wasn’t looking.

“Videos of my son on his expeditions.” Thranduil answered. “I don’t remember the last time I saw him so happy.”

Bard was taken aback. Just earlier today, Thranduil had no information of Legolas at all, and now there was video? Thranduil then explained that Bilbo had forwarded to him. 

“So, how do you feel?” Bard asked, now sitting next to Thranduil. 

“A little better. Seeing him for the first time in two years…it’s nice. And a little terrifying.”

“Why?” Bard’s voice was gentle and understanding, a tone that conveyed that it was not an obligation for Thranduil to answer him, only that Bard was willing to listen.

“He’s a completely new person now. But in a lot of ways, so am I. If we do ever see each other again, how will we even manage it?"

“Well, in my experience, this kind of change is positive progress. And you’re not all together a different person. Whatever happens with Legolas, he’ll always be your son, and when he decides to speak with you, we’ll figure out how to do this together, if you’d like.”

“I’d like that a lot.” Thranduil sighed, looking at his partner with watery eyes. 

“I only wish I could do more.” Bard said, getting a little choked up himself. “Sometimes I see you struggling and I just…wish I could take all your pain away.”

“You do so much for me, never doubt that.” Thranduil said firmly, sliding closer to Bard and wrapping his arms around him. “You are one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Bard looked up and clutched Thranduil in a tight embrace. he knew exactly how hard that would have been for Thranduil to say two years ago, and he felt blessed to be so trusted and loved by him. An inkling to propose to him right then and there came to him, but it was quickly vetoed in place of kissing the blonde breathless instead. 

“You were gone for more than a minute.” Thranduil said against Bard’s lips, his hands picking at the hem of Bard’s shirt. 

“I said I’d make it up to you.” Bard replied, nipping and the side of Thranduil’s mouth. “What would you like?"

...

At two in the morning, Sigrid was back on her laptop, typing away. Her mind was on fire making plans and writing letters in her head. She finally couldn’t take it anymore and went with her gut.

“Hey ThreeHunters, I need to speak to Legolas…"


	2. Chapter 2

As honest as Bard wanted to be with his kids, he did keep things from them. Like when he and Thranduil fought.

It wasn’t often, especially not now, but in the beginning, there was some struggle. Bard knew his way around a serious relationship; he knew that there would be clashes and disagreements, big and small. No matter how much you loved someone, there was always going to be something that you didn’t agree on or have to work through. As natural as it had felt for both of them to fall in love, there were some pretty substantial differences between them that needed to be talked out.

And talking about his feelings hadn't been a strength for Thranduil, it hadn't been for fifteen years.

Bard was a compassionate man and had many friends in and out of the fire department that had served in the military. He was familiar with Thranduil's needs and always understanding, but that didn't take away from the fact that Thranduil was afraid to open to him. At the first sign of becoming a serious couple, Thranduil's instinct was to withdraw, and Bard had reacted.

They had been talking after coming home from a date one night when the argument started. Once the conversation heated up, Thranduil had burst out of Bard's house, running away from his problems. Except Bard wasn’t a problem, and he’d followed the blonde out into the warm summer night.

“What do you want, then?” Bard questioned in a hoarse voice, close to tears, reaching out to take Thranduil’s arm to spin him around. “What do you want from me if you won’t talk to me? Am I just a distraction? A fling? Is this just sex?”

Thranduil looked horrified. “You're not ‘just' anything, Bard. You know that.”

“How do I know that? How should I when you expect me to assume how you feel?”

Thranduil cursed. “This has always gotten in my way—“

“No. You’ve always gotten in your own way. It’s hard being vulnerable, I know, but if you love me, you’ll let me in.”

“And then what? I’ll loose you too?”

“Yes, you will.” Bard snapped. “Everyone looses everyone eventually. But you won't loose me anytime soon, not unless you push me away. I’ll never want to leave you, Thranduil, you have to believe me.”

“How can you possibly be so sure? We’ve only been seeing each a few months.”

“Because that’s who I am. I fall, and I fall hard. I see you, and I see a future. I see you, and I want to take all your pain away. But I can’t even begin to try if I don’t know anything about you. I can’t do anything if you don’t trust me!"

“I don’t trust anyone. Not with—“ Thranduil was cut off by his own sob.

That night, they’d broken down together, in the middle of the night on the sidewalk. It had shed a new light on both of them; where they were, where they wanted to be, how much they loved each other and how much they wanted to be in each other's lives. Bard was a hopeless romantic, and Thranduil was a practical pessimist. Over time, they learned to balance each other out instead of oppose one another, and that’s what made them strong.

Today, they're a harmonious pair, always working together and sharing their feelings whenever they can.

Thranduil thought about this whenever he tried to contact Legolas. Without Bard, he would never have even tried. If opening up to Bard had helped mend his broken heart, than maybe his opening up to Legolas could mend their relationship, or start to.

...

Bain was doing homework one afternoon at the kitchen table when he heard the front door open.

“Bard?” It was Thranduil.

“Da’s out, he went grocery shopping with Sigrid and Til.” Bain said, raising his voice so that it carried to the other room. The next moment, Thranduil entered the dining room looking a little frazzled, but only to the trained eye. Anyone else would have thought he looked as intimidating as ever.

“Why didn’t you go with them?” The blonde asked.

“Too much homework. I’m a little behind.” Bain answered as Thranduil sat across from him. “Everything ok? You’re not usually here on Thursdays.”

“Well, your father did put out a fire today, you know how I like to check on him.”

“Right.” Bain said, knowing this to be true, but also sensing that he was covering something up. They were silent for a few beats before Bain spoke again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“What about?”

Bain shrugged. “Careers. I have to start writing a giant research paper about what career I want to pursue and I don’t know what to choose.”

“Haven’t I heard you say you wanted to be a fire fighter?”

“Yeah, but that’s what I’ve always said, just because it’s a family thing. But what if I’m cut out for something else?”

“Well, expanding your options isn’t a bad idea. You should make a list of everything that interest you. I’d be glad to help you look them over.” Thranduil gave a small smile before something came to him. “My son, Legolas, I know I pushed him into the wrong profession, which didn’t help our relationship. Have you told Bard about this, or are you feeling pressured to go into fire fighting?”

Bain was quick to answer. “No, I haven’t told Da, but there’s no pressure. I think since I’ve said I’ve wanted it for so long, that it’s expected of me now, from more people then just Da.”

Thranduil nodded, a bit relieved. “Whatever you decide to do, I’m sure your father will always support you. He’s always been that way, unlike me.”

Bain shook his head. “But you’re that way now. Isn’t that what matters?”

“That’s a good way of looking at it.” Thranduil smiled again, grateful for Bain’s optimism, something he definitely got from Bard.. “What are you working on now?”

Bain looked down at his text book and scowled. “Algebra. This week’s unit is murder.”

“Have you looked at it like we did last time?” Thranduil asked, getting up to sit next to the teenager. He’d helped Bain with math before, it had always been an easy subject for him. This worked out for Bard, who had a terrible time helping his kids with most math homework.

“I tried, but look at this.” Bain said, pointing his pencil to a problem in the text book.

They worked it out together and had just finished by the time Bard and the girls came back home. Bard walked into the kitchen and was happily surprised to see Thranduil at the table.

“I said I’d call you back, love.” Bard said, putting away the groceries as Tilda went to hug the blonde.

“I needed to see your face.” Thranduil said, opening his arms to Tilda. “And yours too.”

“How’s that homework pile, Bain?” Bard asked.

“Better.” Bain answered, closing his book. "Thanks, Thran.”

“My pleasure.” Thranduil said. “Helping with homework was just about one of the only things I could do right as a parent.”

Bard wanted to say something like ‘I’m sure you’re wrong,’ or ‘Don’t say that,’ but he knew Thranduil would only come up with something even more self depreciating to say.

“Ada, look what I drew in art class today!” Tilda said excitedly, sitting at the table and taking out her sketchbook. Thranduil noticed Sigrid go straight to her room after she finished helping Bard with groceries. It was a little uncharacteristic of her to be so quiet.

Once Tilda had shown him everything she had drawn in class, she started drawing something new, letting Thranduil go to see Bard in the kitchen. He was making dinner, chopping up vegetables at the moment.

“Is Sigrid doing Ok?” Thranduil asked, coming up from behind and pecking Bard on the cheek.

“You know, she has seemed a little wary this week. Might be nothing, though. I learned years ago that if the teenager needs space, you give it to them.”

“Quite right.” Thranduil agreed. “And you’re Ok?”

“Better than ever. No need to worry.” Bard replied with a smile, turning around, having finished his task. “It was just a stove fire, mostly smoke. It’s been relatively quite on my front.” He looked into Thranduil’s eyes. “How about yours?”

“Quiet.” Thranduil replied, knowing that Bard was referring to his attempts to contact Legolas. “I have made a decision, though. I’m going back into therapy. It’s easier for me to focus on my work when my emotional baggage can be dealt with at a designated time and place.”

“Ok.” Bard said, giving his partner a small smile. “Don’t work too hard.”

Thranduil watched as Bard stepped closer to him. The fireman’s hands came up to rest on the blonde's hips in a reassuring, yet playful touch.

“You know I don’t.” Thranduil said. "Not when you’re such a good distraction. I swear, the first few weeks we were dating, I didn’t get any work done.”

“Is that all I am to you? A distraction?” Bard teased.

"Far from it.” Thranduil managed before Bard’s lips were on his own.

...

_“Three Hunters, I need to speak to Legolas._

_My name is Sigrid Bowman, and I don’t know if you’ve been getting your fathers emails or what he’s been saying in them, but he’s very worried about you and I have a feeling he wants to apologize for whatever happened that made you leave so suddenly. I know this because he and my father have been dating for a little under two years now. I don’t know if I just outed your father or not, but I thought you should know._

_I don’t know really know what I’m writing this for. Now that I’ve seen your videos, I wish I could get to know you. Our dad’s are really serious, and Thranduil’s always worried about you. I think my dad feels bad that he can’t help, and now I’m trying to do…something, if anything._

_I just wanted to reach out. I hope we can talk."_

Sending the message hadn’t helped Sigrid sleep that night, and it only made her anxious to have a secret from her parents like this. For two days, it was a growing pit in her stomach. Would he reply? Would they regard her as just spam or think she was lying? She gave her full name, maybe they’d scour her Facebook to see if she was telling the truth.

She needed to get this off her chest somehow, so she told Bain.

“You did what?” He said.

“Keep it down!” Sigrid said, even though they were behind her closed door. “If I don’t get a reply, then Da and Thran never need to know.”

“And if you do?” Bain asked.

“Then I’ll figure it out.” Sigrid said, not convincing Bain in the slightest.

“He hasn’t replied to Thranduil at all.” Bain said. “I don’t know if he’ll reply to you, especially if he’s still mad at Thran.”

“I can’t imagine he could still be mad. I’ve watched a lot of their videos and he seems really relaxed and happy. And when he mentioned Thranduil in his one vlog, he seemed more sad than angry.”

Both sibling decided to keep it a secret until something substantial happened. Bain also began watching some of the ThreeHunter's videos, they were exciting and real. Both Sigrid and Bain liked watching Legolas mountain climb, and although he didn't ramble on telling stories like Gimli or Aragorn, it was easy to see that Legolas was happy with living in the moment. Sigrid especially grew to like the idea of having an older sibling.

A few days later was as long as they had to wait for a reply. Sigrid was both relieved and slightly panicked to see a notification from the ThreeHunters. She opened the message that night and started reading.

_“Hi Sigrid,_

_I think I’ve sat here for two days trying to figure out how to start this._

_I want to thank you, I’ve honestly been very worried about my dad. And I feel like you deserve the truth. At first I was ignoring him on purpose, now I just don’t know what to say, and its been so long now that I’m afraid to say anything. I also don’t have a phone. To cut back on costs and distractions, Aragorn, Gimli and I use a shared laptop, no phones._

_And no, you didn’t out my dad. I didn’t know that he was dating, but I was aware of his sexuality. It sounds like we’ve both gone and changed our lives, haven’t we? Is he happy? He never dated when I was younger, it’s kind of hard to imagine him with anyone._

_Anyway, I’m not sure I’m exactly ready to talk to him, but I’d like to keep talking to you. Do you have siblings or is it just you and your dad? What’s your dad like?…"_

Sigrid and Legolas had that kind of correspondence for a few weeks, just telling each other anything they could think of, really. They sent each other pictures; Legolas of his travels and Sigrid of the family. Bain didn’t know what to think, and keeping this kind of secret from both Bard and Thranduil was making his head spin. Sigrid felt similarly, but she wasn’t about to push Legolas into doing something he wasn’t ready for.

Legolas was relieved to find out that Thranduil wasn’t alone, and Sigrid was happy to finally know the young man Thranduil missed so dearly. And she finally got an in depth explanation as to why Legolas left, at least from Legolas’ perspective.

“I can’t blame him.” Legolas had said in one message. “He’d been through so much trauma, and there was hardly anyone he could confide in, our family had always been just us. I was raised by nannies, he basically barred me into private schools, and I learned not to expect too much from him emotionally. Now that I’m older, I realized how depressed he was, and how helpless I'd felt. By the time I was old enough to join Mirkwood Industries as an intern, I wanted more than anything to do my best for him; to become someone he could talk to and be proud of. I thought it was my last chance to really connect with him, and when I hated the work, and when he didn’t support my feelings about it, I’d had enough."

Sigrid urged him to consider at least writing an email. Legolas tried, but he didn’t always have the time to just sit somewhere with the laptop for as long as it would take him to complete a full thought.

“I don’t think I should keep the secret that I’m talking to you for very much longer.” Sigrid told him.

“I know. And it’s unfair of me to ask that you do.” Legolas said. "Maybe I should make another vlog.”

…

It was a sunny afternoon, Bard could see the budding leaves on the trees just outside his office window. He'd just finished lunch and was back to sifting through his email when Thranduil came barging in. His usually composed partner swung the door closed with an near slam, took the chair by the wall and dragged it next to his own.

“Thranduil? What—“ bard tried to get out before Thranduil shut him up and took his keyboard and mouse, clicking his way to the internet. Bard sat there patiently, despite his concern, seeing the urgency in Thranduil’s every move--not to mention how uncharacteristic it was of Thranduil to barge into anything, let alone during business hours. 

Thranduil had pulled up a YouTube video titled "Greenleaf's Road Journal: Dear Thranduil." When it began, it showed the spitting image of Thranduil twenty years younger, sitting at a park bench with his arms crossed and a hopeful look in his eyes. 

_“Hi, Ada.”_

“Oh my god.” Bard said, and Thranduil was clutching at his arm.

_“It’s been a while. That’s my fault entirely. I hope you can forgive me.”_

Bard was staring intently at the screen and blindly reached for Thranduil's hands. 

_“I’ve been holding back a lot, for a long time, and now I just want you to know everything. I’m sorry I left the way I did, but I felt I had no choice. And when it comes to leaving, I don’t regret having gone. I’ve seen the world and it’s amazing. And I have the vest friends in the world."_  The young man paused, looking to his left, offscreen, his friends were probably watching, supporting him.

"I _used to blame you for my loneliness, my unhappiness, for anything. But I don’t anymore. There are things that I couldn’t help you with, and that made me feel like a failure. But I wasn’t old enough to know how you felt after you came home, and maybe I’ll never truly understand how painful it was for you.”_

“I hope he never has to know.” Thranduil said under his breath.

_“I’m so happy to know that you’re not alone."_ Legolas grinned, making him look so much younger. _"I’ve been updated on your life by a certain Sigrid Bowman. I know it was sneaky of us, but we’ve been talking for a few weeks now. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I’d have made this video at all. Or be considering coming home so soon. I've made my decision, and I'm leaving for home in a week. I'll see you then.”_

The video ended and Bard was a little in shock. He hugged Thranduil as close to him as he could, despite awkward angle. 

“Sigrid would be in so much trouble if this wasn’t such good news.” Bard said, a little out of breath.

“I’m buying her everything on her birthday list this year.” Thranduil said, smiling through his tears.

Bard pulled back and smiled wide. "I'm so happy for you. How do you feel?"

"Like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders." Thranduil said. "There's still so much he have to discuss, but this is something I couldn't have dreamed would happen. And so soon."

When Sigrid got home from school that day, Thranduil and Bard were already home. Thranduil wrapped her in the tightest hug he could manage without crushing her, and Bard made a light interrogation.

"I thought it was worth a try." Sigrid said, shrugging, although she did feel like running a victory lap, seeing how happy Thranduil was.

Tilda, on the other hand, while feeling as relieved as everyone else, also held a bit of a grudge. "You told Bain, but you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, I didn't even know if it was going to work out." Sigrid replied.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll find a way to get back at them." Bard said quietly, winking at her, as he and Tilda still had a secret of their own.


	3. Chapter 3

Thranduil couldn’t think of anything else besides Legolas' arrival all week. His mind was racing at all times, making it impossible to work and sleep. Bard could at least confirm the latter based on the amount of tossing and turning Thranduil had been doing in bed.

“Babe?” Bard rasped one night, his voice thick with sleep. It was the night before Legolas was due to arrive, they were picking him up early that morning. 

Thranduil stilled, having been rolling over again. “Yes?”

“You need to sleep.” Bard said, rolling onto his side and draping himself across his partner to weigh him down. “It’s 1am, and we need to be up at 5.”

“I can’t sleep. I might as well get up and try to make myself useful.”

"By doing what?"

"I have paperwork to catch up on. And I can organize that mess you call a kitchen table--"

Bard sighed and moved again, straddling Thranduil's hips, preventing him from going anywhere. “No, you need to rest. You’re just going to have to lie here while I sleep.”

Thranduil grunted, but relented. After Bard had settled, his head tucked under Thranduil's chin, the blonde's hands went up to rest at Bard’s sides, eventually moving them in circles. Bard rather liked when Thranduil gave him this kind of attention, but not when he was trying to get them both to sleep.

“Thran…” Bard warned.

“What?” Thranduil replied, a bit coyly, as one hand snaked up Bard’s naked back to run his fingers through Bard’s hair—a move he knew would win the brunette over without complaint. Well, without much complaint. 

Bard tried to resist making any sounds of approval, but there was no stopping the moan that came along with Thranduil’s soothing touch. 

“You bastard.” Bard said through his teeth. In retaliation, Bard did what he knew would give Thranduil the same reaction, moving his hips to just the right spot at just the right pressure. Thranduil was just as predictable as he was. 

One thing led to another, and by 1:30am, Bard had gotten Thranduil tired and relaxed enough to close his eyes for a few hours. 

By morning, very early morning, both adults were up and out of the house, leaving Sigrid in charge of her younger siblings. Thranduil drove them to the airport, and Bard would drive them home. Legolas was coming with Gimli, who was going to visit his own family since they lived so close. They would be flying to wherever Aragorn ended up in another two weeks. 

Bard and Thranduil parked and made their way to baggage claim about twenty minutes early. Thranduil didn’t know what he was going to do when he saw his son. Bard was having him take deep breaths, but his mind kept going back to the past and analyzing every mistake he’d ever made. For a fleeting, tragic moment, Thranduil wondered what his late wife might think of him; what she'd think of father and son in this situation, having let time and heartbreak come between them. 

“Hey.” Bard said, taking Thranduil's attention back. He ran his hands up and down the blonde’s arms and looked him in the eyes. “Everything will be fine.”

Thranduil nodded and leaned into his partner, allowing himself to be cradled for a moment. 

"I can't help but wonder how disappointed she'd be in me." Thranduil said under his breath. It didn't matter how quiet he was, He was talking practically into Bard's ear. 

Bard rubbed circles into his partner's back. "If you've told me anything about your wife, it's that she was selfless, and had the biggest heart of anyone you'd ever met. I think she'd be very proud of you for making it here, after everything you and Legolas have been through."

Thranduil buried his face further into Bard's neck. "Your heart is just as big."

“Maybe I'm a close second." Bad chuckled. "I love you, have I told you that today?” 

Thranduil pulled back and smirked at the brunette. “Yes, I had you moaning it this morning.”

Bard laughed. “I hope we didn’t wake the kids. Bain told me the other day that we scarred him for life a while back.”

That made Thranduil laugh in earnest. They snickered together in the middle of baggage claim, holding hands and feeling whole again. 

After a few minutes of talking quietly between them, Thranduil was stopped by what he saw in the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Legolas and his friend walking towards them. Just the sight of his son was stunning. He’d gotten a little taller, his hair a little longer, his walk a little stronger. He looked like a man, not the boy who had left two years ago. For some reason, any kind of nerves Thranduil had accumulated from the week of fretting and overthinking had vanished.

Bard had been right. Even though they’s both changed, Legolas was still his son. 

“Legolas.” Thranduil said, making Bard step back and look to where Thranduil’s gaze was focused. Without delay, he rushed over, embracing his son like he hadn’t since he was a very small boy. Legolas returned the embrace, both of them surprising themselves with how easy this felt. 

“Ada.” Legolas said, holding on tight. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. For everything I never did. For pushing you away. For making you feel like a failure. This is all my fault.” Thranduil pulled away enough to touch Legolas’ face. He could see Legolas’ mother in his eyes, as they had always been so perfectly hers. That used to terrify Thranduil, but now he saw how wonderful it was. “I will do everything in my power to make it up to you.”

“So will I.” Legolas said. The young man realized then that he’d dropped his bags when his father had hugged him and darted to retrieve them. 

“Let me carry some of those.” Bard offered, holding out his hand first. “I’m Bard. Too glad we finally get to meet.”

“Me too.” Legolas answered, shaking Bard’s hand. 

During the drive home, Bard ended up talking to Gimli while Thranduil and Legolas took up the back seats and chatted away rather easily. They dropped off Gimli, as his father’s house was on the way through the city. Back at the Bowman residence, the children were all up and getting breakfast ready. When Sigrid and Legolas saw each other, Sigrid made her way over and hugged him. 

“Thank you for being here.” She said.

“Thank you for getting me here.” Legolas replied. 

Bard and Thranduil were both touched, smiling at their children before looking at each other. Bard put his arm around Thranduil and led him to the kitchen table, the others following him. 

“Your journal video went viral.” Bain said to Legolas over breakfast. “Your fans want to know absolutely everything.”

“I’m tempted to leave them in the dark.” Legolas laughed. “It may be a journal, but I think I’m allowed some privacy.”

“Unlike Aragorn.” Sigrid said. “I think his fans know his entire life story.”

“Well, he’s had a pretty exciting life.” Legolas replied. 

That week consisted of Legolas hanging out in the city with old friends during school and business hours, then either the entire family hanging out or just father and son. On the first night, Thranduil took Legolas home. 

"Wow. I don't think anything's changed in here." Legolas said, marveling at the apartment. He spotted The picture frames on the kitchen counter and saw the new ones with the old. The new ones were pictures of Bard, his children, and a recent selfie of his own. 

"Hey!" Legolas said, picking up the frame. "Did you internet stalk me?"

"Only for a few weeks. I didn't even know you had a YouTube channel until last month."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize."

A silence fell on them for a few beats, Legolas still admiring the pictures. 

"It's like you have a new life. The Bowman's are really nice."

"They're my saving grace. I love them very much." Thranduil confessed, looking at his son a little warily. "Are you really ok it?"

"With you moving on? Of course I am! No offense, but you were stuck for years."

"Non taken, you're right. Bard has opened my eyes to a lot since we've been together. More than I could have dreamed to see in the thirteen years I tired figuring things out for myself."

"I'll have to thank Bard later, seems like he was just what you needed."

"I'm sure you're adventures have given you a similar kind of clarity."

Legolas smiled, but only for a moment. "You're ok with me going back after this?"

"Yes." Thranduil said decisively. "Traveling has become your livelihood, I can't take you away from that. Enjoy this while it lasts, and whenever you need something, don't hesitate to let me know." Thranduil came closer to Legolas and pulled something out of a kitchen drawer. He placed a box in his son's hand. 

"And for god's sake, keep a phone."

...

On the last night of Legolas' stay, the family went out for dinner. 

"Let me get this." Thranduil said, taking the bill before Bard could reach for it. 

"Oh no." Sigrid half groaned. 

"What?" Legolas asked.

"They do this every time we go out." Sigrid answered. "They haven't even figured out how to just take turns, they always have to fight about it."

"Love, you got it last time." Bard said, reaching out across the table for the bill, which Thranduil did not release. 

"And I intend to get this one as well." The blonde replied smugly. 

"I'm beginning to think they do it on purpose." Bain said. "It's like some kind of weird flirting that older couples do once they don't need to romance each other anymore."

"Hey, I'm plenty romantic." Bard said, getting up from his seat and looking ready to attack his partner. Just before Thranduil could make a clever quip, Bard was on one knee. The entire table, except for Tilda, took pause before they all realized. 

“My love.” Bard began. Sigrid and Bain were beside themselves in sudden excitement. Tilda looked very pleased, intent on watching Thranduil’s face. Legolas was surprised, but genuinely smiling through it, knowing how much this meant for his father.

Thranduil sat there, almost completely still, poised as ever, gratitude glistening in his eyes. Bard's smile was contagious, and once again, the blonde couldn't believe his luck. 

Bard took out the ring from his breast pocket and held it out to Thranduil. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my first and only husband?”

Thranduil laughed and Bard smiled, always pleased with himself whenever he made his partner laugh. 

“You know what I’m going to say.” Thranduil said, his voice soft. He reached out and caressing Bard’s face with a grace Bard thought only Thranduil could possess. 

“So let me here you say it.” Bard said, not at all bothered by the minor delay Thranduil was making. Their kids seemed to be holding their breath, however, the anticipation mounting by the second. 

“Of course I’ll marry you.” Thranduil said, unceremoniously dragging Bard up by the collar, close enough to kiss him. “I love you so much.”

Bard leaned in all the way and kissed his partner, his heart swelling when he heard the kids' cheers. 

“Show him the ring!” Tilda said, a little impatiently. “We had it made special.”

“You knew about this?” Bain asked, incredulously. 

“I’m allowed to have secrets.” Tilda said smugly, sticking out her tongue at him. Everyone was on cloud nine, so after Thranduil payed the bill, Bard took them out for ice cream. 

…

The next norming, Thranduil and Bard drove Legolas and Gimli to the airport. After a round of goodbyes, and few tearful 'I love yous,' the two young men were out of site and going on another adventure. 

The nearly married couple drove back home in near silence. It was peaceful with the windows partially rolled down, the warm spring air a welcome change from the cold winter that had just passed. Thranduil held Bard's free hand as they drove down a quiet suburb, close to home. The trees were just beginning to show their off their new leafs, the buds finally sprouting full and green. 

"I suppose we all get to start over." Thranduil said, although he didn't mean to say it out loud. He looked to his partner, who hadn't skipped a beat.

"I suppose we do."


End file.
